The ability to locate and track an individual can be vital and crucial. For instance, approximately 800,000 children are reported missing in the United States every year. As the population increases, more children are expected to be reported missing. Another example involves individuals traveling abroad. In politically volatile regions of the world, individuals, such as businessmen and contractors, are susceptible to kidnapping and may be held hostage for ransom. Finally, soldiers in hostile territory could be captured and held secretly.
As a result, many systems for tracking and locating individuals have been developed. However, prior systems or methods have drawbacks. Certain prior systems and methods are designed to locate an individual only within a limited area, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,700,493 to Robinson, entitled “Method, Apparatus and System for Tracking, Locating and Monitoring an Object or Individual.” Other systems and methods are expensive because specifically-built components must be used with the system or method, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,031,460 to Banks, entitled “Child Locating System.”
Thus, there is a need for a locating system and method that operates over an expansive area but is relatively inexpensive to manufacture because it uses readily available components. Although several different systems and methods have been proposed, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved system and method for locating an individual.